Or Worse
by Zelda100
Summary: This is a tag to For Better or Worse, what I think happened off camera that last few minutes. The followup chapters covers my take on what happened after the credits rolled. Rating is to be on the safe side. Obvious spoilers for season 6 finale.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **So this popped into my head, and it just wouldn't go away so I started typing. I am contemplating writing a follow up chapter or two, located at the hospital and maybe even further than that. Please let me know if you would like that. This is a tag to For Better or Worse, what I think happened off camera that last few minutes. This is un-beta'd so all mistakes are mine.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Castle.**

**… Or Worse**

Kate was getting worried, her gut working overtime; he said he was only twenty minutes away, that was over an hour ago. If he ran into trouble he would have called. She can't stand it anymore; she picks up her phone and dials his number and hears his voice: "This is Richard Castle, leave me a message."

"Straight to voicemail", she tells the now anxious women in the room with her. Her phone starts vibrating in her hand and for just a moment she is sure it's him calling to tell her he got a flat and he'll be there in just a while, but the caller id states that the incoming call is from an unknown number.

"Hello?"

"Hello, I am calling for Kate Beckett", the voice on the phone states.

"Yes, this is she", Kate answers with her gut clenching tightly.

"Miss Beckett this is Sheriff Dunham of the Hampton PD. May I ask, do you know a Mr Castle?"

"Yes, I do. I am his fiancée."

"I am afraid there was an accident, we found Mr Castle's phone outside the vehicle, and the call log indicates that you were the last call he made, that is why I am calling you now." Kate feels the world tumbling around her – if Rick was OK he would have called her himself. She snaps her attention back to the voice on the phone: "Miss Beckett, are you still there?"

"Yes, yes I am here. Where is he? Is he alright? Can I talk to him?"

"I think it is best if I come to you, where are you at this moment?"

Oh no, this is bad, very bad. Why doesn't he say anything reassuring, or just come out and say what he has to say? Kate looks up and sees the worried faces of Alexis, Martha and Lanie looking at her. She pulls herself together, takes a deep breath and tells the Sheriff: "I think it is better to come to you, where are you?"

"I don't think that is a good idea…" she can hear it in his voice, it's bad, really bad.

"Where are you? I'm coming there", she is sure that if she can just be there everything will be OK. She needs to be there right now.

She can hear the resignation in the sheriff's voice when he speaks again: "About five miles out of the Hamptons on the New York-Hamptons road, but I really don't think you should be here."

Kate hangs up before he can get another word out. She looks at the women in the room with her and calmly says "Rick was in an accident, I am going there right now. You stay here; I will call as soon as I know anything." She turns on her heel and heads out the door before she can register the shock on their faces, if she sees it now she will lose control. And that she can't let that happen, she is the strong one and that is how it is going to stay.

Kate hears Martha's soft exclamation of "Oh my Lord" before the door closes behind her, followed by a louder "Katherine!" in an attempt to call her back. She chooses to ignore it; although she knows that it must be just a big a shock, if not bigger, to Rick's mother and daughter to hear such news as it is to her.

Kate lifts up her wedding dress' hem as she runs down the stairs to get to the car. When she reaches the bottom of the staircase she almost runs into Javier, who is seemingly looking for her. "Hi, Beckett. I was just coming to look for you. What is the hold up? Have you heard from Castle?"

"He's been in an accident. I am going to him now", is all she gets out before attempting to push past Esposito.

The impact of her words shows on his face for just a moment before he acts, grabbing her arm and turning her to face him. "I am coming with you; you can't drive dressed like that." She wants to tell him no, but realises that he is right – it is going to be near impossible to drive dressed in her wedding gown. So she simply nods her consent as she turns back around and starts moving again, hearing him following her out the door.

She knows she won't fit – dress and all – in the front seat of the Rolls, so she opens the back door and gets in, hearing, rather than seeing, Javier getting in the driver seat. He starts the car and asks her where they are headed. She tells him where to go and then just sits in the backseat, waiting for them to reach their destination. Only once they hit the open road does she realise that they are in the wedding getaway car, it was parked at the end of the driveway so that they could simply get in and go after the reception. Now it is just her, not knowing if there will ever be a wedding.

There is only one word going through Kate's mind as they speed along "_Please, please, please…_" She hears Javier taking in a sharp breath and cursing softy, and as she leans forward to look out the front window she sees a plume of black smoke curling into the air near the road in front of them. She tells herself that is not where they are headed, just a bushfire nothing more, but as they go around a bend she sees a multitude of police cars, fire engines and an ambulance standing in the road, lights flashing steadily warning of impending doom. And her heart sinks.

Kate is out of the car even as Javier is slowing it to a stop. Once again gathering her dress about her, ignoring the calls of "Hey, lady stop! You can't go there!" as she runs to the edge of the embankment, from where she can see the smoke emanating. She can't believe her eyes, even as she feels the heat coming off the burning Mercedes – his Mercedes – and the smoke clogging the air.

Her brain, no her heart, is screaming out Rick Castle's name: _CASTLE!_ She wants to run down the embankment, wants to go and get him – save him. Her body is not listening to her: no sound comes from her mouth, her feet are not moving, and her breath is stuck in her throat. She can feel the silent tears rolling down her cheeks. _No, no, no, this can't be! _Suddenly her knees starts to buckle and she feels herself crumbling to the ground, helpless in that moment to stop it from happening.

Kate feels a pair of strong arms keeping her from totally collapsing to the ground, and for just a fraction of a second she thinks it is Castle keeping her upright. Then she hears Javier's voice in her ear: "Beckett, you alright?" and she knows it's just Esposito who finally caught up to her, just in time to catch her and lower her gently into a sitting position.

The world around her comes slowly into focus as Javier snaps his fingers in front of her face, a worried look on his own. "You with me Beckett?" When he sees that she is finally focusing on him he hands her a bottle of water with the command "Drink". She shakily takes the bottle from him and automatically takes a sip. Now she sees the man dressed as a sheriff standing right behind Javier and she attempts to get up, she has to talk to him. Needs to know, even when her brain says maybe she doesn't want to.

"Miss Beckett?" the sheriff asks as he crouches in front of her. She simply nods, her voice still not taking orders from her brain. "Miss Beckett, we found Mr Castle a few yards away from the car when we got here. He was unconscious at the time, but he is on his way to the hospital right now."

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_Thanks for reading :)_


	2. Chapter 2: Wait

**A/N: This chapter may be a bit boring, but it does serve a purpose, please be patient with it. From here on I am speculating on what happened after the credits started rolling. The plot thickens at the end of this chapter, promise.**

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**Chapter 2:**

The trip to the hospital goes by in a blur for Kate. All that she keeps thinking is that Castle is alive, _thank God he is alive_, and praying that it would stay that way. Javier had gotten her back in the car, and then he went to ask the sheriff for directions to the hospital. The sheriff offered them a police escort, which Esposito gladly accepted. As they raced through the streets behind the police cruiser, its siren blaring, Javier phoned Lanie to update her on the situation and tell her where they were going.

By the time they reach the hospital Kate has started to regain her composure, or that's what she tells herself. At least she waits in the backseat until Esposito parks the car and walks around to help her out of her seat. He gently takes her by her elbow and leads her through the doors marked ER. She hates hospitals, and with all that has happened in the past who could blame her? The smell of disinfectant hanging in the air gives her flashbacks to all those horrible times, but she pushes them to the back of her mind – she must focus on Castle now, and that is all that matters.

The nurse at the reception counter looks up as they approach, a flash of "_What the hell?"_ crossing her face before she sets her expression back to non-committal. Kate feels her irritation at the woman rise, then remembers how they must look: A woman in a, by now, kind of dirty and crumpled wedding gown, eyes still puffy and red; the man with her dressed in a tux, his pants still covered in dust where he kneeled in the dirt in front of Kate – and both of them smelling of smoke. "Can I help you?" the duty nurse – her name tag identifies her as Mandy – asks politely.

"We are looking for Richard Castle; he was brought in from an accident scene a while back." Javier informs her before Kate can gather her thoughts.

Mandy's face softens as she asks "Are you family?"

"I'm his fiancée", Kate finally finds her voice.

The pieces falls into place for Mandy _"Poor woman"_ flashes through her mind before she says "Mister Castle was brought in here a while ago, yes. He was taken straight for emergency surgery. If you would kindly take a seat in the waiting room, I will let the doctor know you are here. He will be with you as soon as possible, or send someone out to talk to you if necessary."

"Thank you" Javier says as he turns around. Kate wants to argue, but he is already steering her away from the desk and into the eerily empty waiting room. "Come on Beckett, she doesn't know anything else. Please sit down."

So she sits, not really possessing the strength to fight him on it. He is right anyway; the nurse will not tell them anything else. Then a thought comes to her: Martha and Alexis, she has to call them. She starts looking for her phone, only to realise it is still at the mansion. "_Dammit, Kate you promised you would call" _she berates herself.

"Don't worry, Beckett. I called Lanie on the way here. They should already be on their way." Javier tells her before she can ask for his phone. "Now try to stay calm, working yourself into a frenzy will not help anybody at this moment."

It is not long before the doors opens to let in a whirlwind containing Martha, Alexis and Lanie. Before Martha can start her inquiry with Mandy, Esposito stands and collects the women from reception, ushering them into the waiting room while filling them in on what little they already found out.

After a lot of hugging and comforting between the women, Lanie holds up a kitbag saying, "Kate, I brought you fresh clothes. I am certain you don't want to sit here in your wedding dress for however long this may take."

"Go on, Katherine. We will be all right here with Javier while you go change. We will come and get you if we get any news." Martha makes shooing gestures while she talks. Alexis simply nods, her green eyes still brimming with tears.

Kate really wants to stay, but she also knows that they are right and this can turn out to be a very long wait. Therefore, she lets Lanie lead her out of the waiting room in search of a place to change. They find a bathroom down the hall and Lanie helps Kate out of her dress and hands her a pair of jeans, a t-shirt and a pair of sneakers which she puts on without comment. She also washes her face in some cold water, which oddly enough makes her feel better.

When they exit the bathroom a few minutes later the reception area is filled with cops, the small waiting room also crammed full. Everywhere there is a place to sit or stand is occupied. Apparently, most of the wedding guests have decided to come to the hospital to wait with them, the mayor and Castle's writer friends included. As far as she can gather about the entire twelfth precinct is there, even captain Gates is there sitting next to her husband holding his hand tightly, a worried expression on her face. Kate has only seen this many cops gathered at a hospital at the same time when one of their own got injured – and she realises, even though Castle is not a cop, he actually became one of them a long time ago.

Kate really wants to pace to work off her nervous energy, but there is not really space for this so she takes a seat between Martha and Alexis and settles in to wait. Alexis pulls her into a tight hug, seemingly not thinking about letting her go anytime soon, while Martha takes her hand and holds it between both of her still shaking hands.

After what feels like days, but is in reality about three hours, of waiting with only the soft shuffle of people changing positions are heard Kate looks up when she hears footsteps approaching. When the doctor appears in the doorway everybody in the waiting room gets up with as Kate does – Alexis still holding on to her.

"Family of Mister Castle?" the doctor asks, looking astounded at the large amount of people before him.

"That's us," Martha states, walking closer to him and pulling Kate and Alexis with her. "I'm his mother, Martha. This is his daughter, Alexis, and his fiancée, Kate." Gesturing to each of them in turn as she speaks.

"I am Doctor Allan. Mister Castle is out of surgery. Apparently, his airbag didn't fully deploy, or not at all, as he has a broken nose and what appears to be a severe concussion. His left shoulder is broken and the impact his knees made with the underside of the dashboard also resulted in him breaking the knee that has had previous surgery. We have set the knee as well as we could under the circumstances, but it may require further surgery in future. He also has an injury to his upper left thigh, resulting in severe blood loss. He is stable for now, but we will have to wait until he regains consciousness to ascertain the true extent of his head injury." He waits for his words to sink in and looks around the waiting room again, and behind him into the still filled reception area wondering what exactly is happening in his usually quiet and relatively empty hospital.

"When can we see him?" Alexis asks.

The doctor suddenly looks uncomfortable, "Before you do, I do have something else to add. But I think we should find somewhere more private for this discussion."

"You can say what you need to right here, doctor. They are going to find out anyway." Martha again, her dramatic flair showing when she sweeps her arm to indicate the people around them.

Dr Allan sighs and then lowers his voice when he says, "The broken shoulder and thigh injury resulting in the blood loss did not occur because of the crash… We retrieved bullet fragments from both of these injury sites."

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**A/N2: Please don't shoot me, this seemed to be the best place for a chapter break. Hopefully more tomorrow. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3:**

Martha curses softly at the doctor's words, while Kate can hear Alexis' sharp intake of breath on her other side. Dr Allan's words does shock Kate, but now her years of working with Castle comes to her in a flash of memory – all those killers they caught together, those still on the loose. _Bracken, reaching out from prison? Tyson, one of his groupies? Who knows who else might be out there?_

Kate does not need to turn around to know that the rustling she hears behind her is her team reaching for their phones. She is, however, surprised that the first voice she hears is not that of Esposito or Ryan, but Captain Gates.

"Yes, I need to talk to the Sheriff immediately", Gates says. After a pause, in her do not mess with me voice: "I don't care where he is or what he is doing, go and get him right now." As she moves past them on her way out the door, she looks at Kate, expression determined, voice low: "I got this." Ryan and Esposito, both already talking into their phones in urgent tones, follow Gates out the door.

Kate notices movement next to Martha, turning to see LT who clearly has something to say. She quirks an eyebrow at him, giving him silent permission to speak his mind. "Sorry doc, but which room is Castle in?"

"You can't go see him. Family only right now, and no more than two at a time."

But Kate is on the same wavelength as LT, "He is not going for a visit, doctor. He is going to stand guard. Right, LT?"

"Right, Detective Beckett."

"I'll explain later, doctor." The doctor still seems unsure, but after getting the Beckett look relents and supplies the room number and directions.

"Thanks LT. Do a quick sweep of the room please, and take backup. Don't let anybody in unless you know them, medical personnel included, you know the drill. I'll be there shortly", Kate informs him.

"Sure thing, Beckett. Whatever you need, anything for the two of you, you know that." LT leaves and another uniform follows him out, no encouragement needed.

Kate swallows hard on the lump that has suddenly formed in her throat, then looking at Martha and Alexis "You go see him first. I am going to get things organised here, and then I will be right there. Also, please don't go anywhere alone, I am getting someone to protect you too. We can't be too careful." To doctor Allan, "I'm going to have to talk to you, so don't go anywhere. Is there someone that can show them to his room?"

"Mandy can do that." Turning his attention to Martha and Alexis, "Be warned that there are a lot of wires and tubes attached to Mister Castle at the moment, and his face is quite swollen because of the broken nose. However, it looks worse than it is. He is only lightly medicated right now; I would like him to regain consciousness as soon as possible so that we can assess the extent of the head trauma. Even so, chances are he will not wake up in the next few hours so don't worry if he is unresponsive."

Martha thanks the doctor, then gently unwraps Alexis' arms from the hug she still maintains around Kate, "Come on Kiddo, let's go see your dad." Giving Kate one more look over her shoulder, she leads Alexis by the hand out the door. Kate gives Martha a small – and she hopes encouraging – smile and notices how two uniforms follow the two redheads down the corridor.

"Maybe we should go to my office now?" Doctor Allan suggests.

"Like Martha stated previously, we might as well talk here as they will find out everything anyway." Taking a seat Kate indicates to the doctor that he should follow suit. He settles in the vacant seat across from her and patiently waits for her to gather her thoughts and start the conversation. Kate is aware that her father comes and sits by her side, taking her hand and squeezing it lightly. She looks at him gratefully and then focuses on Dr Allen "Firstly, I must thank you for what you have done for Rick so far, I am eternally grateful. But, I need to know whether I must make arrangements to have him transferred to a New York City hospital? No offence to you or the facility, but this seems like a very small hospital. Do you have the resources here to give him the care that he needs?"

"Moving Mr Castle to another facility is really up to you, but I can assure you that we are more than capable of giving him top class care right here. As you mentioned we are quite small, but as we cater mostly to the affluent individuals who own homes in the area, we have all the resources of many of the larger hospitals in the city."

"It's true, you know. I would be comfortable letting Castle stay here, if I was you." Patterson speaks up from behind her, the first that she heard any of the writers speak up since they arrived; which is the quietest she has ever heard the usually talkative group to be. Kate suspects that is because even though they are used to writing about events such as this, it is quite different once it happens to someone you know.

"Well if Patterson is agreeing with you, I think he can stay here for now. Obviously, I will have to consult with his mother and daughter on the matter before making a final decision."

"Of course, just let me know what you decide so I can make the necessary arrangements for his future care. Now, not to be rude, but can you please tell me what's going on? I don't think I have ever seen so many people in this hospital at once."

Now the doctor's confusion makes sense to Kate, she knows why they are surrounded by a whole police precinct worth of cops, and quite a few famous and influential people – but the poor man has no idea. "You may or may not know this, but Rick is a mystery novelist. By the way if you didn't know please don't tell him that, he will have a bruised ego to go with his already bruised body if he finds out. That explains them." Kate looks in the direction of the group of instantly recognisable mystery writers. Receiving an understanding nod from the doctor, she carries on, "And as you might have gathered I am a detective with the NYPD, homicide squad if you were wondering – which explains the large amount of cops you see here. Now you must be wondering how they all got here so quickly and why so many, right?" She receives another nod from the doctor. "We were supposed to get married today, at Rick's beach house here in the Hamptons. Most of the non-uniformed people you see were on the guest list and already waiting for the ceremony to begin when we got news of the crash, so they followed me here. As for the huge amount of cops, Rick is not only my fiancé and a mystery writer, he is also my partner at work – he has been shadowing me for almost six years and helps my team and me in solving cases. So you can say he has become an honorary cop in the eyes of these guys, and you know what cops do when one of their own gets in trouble. Also, his involvement in a few of our more recent cases might have led to the current situation we are in, hence the security measures. Revenge is a powerful motivator in the world we work in, so until we find out otherwise we will assume that that is the case here."

The doctor stands up and nods understandingly, "That is a lot to take in, but at least it makes some sense now. I have to go and check on Mr Castle. Please let me know if you need anything."

"Thank you, doctor I will certainly do so." Turning to the other people in the room, "Thank you all for your concern and for coming out here, but I think it is best for everybody if you go home now. I will let you know of any changes in Rick's condition. Just one request, please – don't share what you heard here today with anybody, especially the press. It will be easier to keep Castle safe if the person or persons responsible for this does not know what is going on."

With a murmur of consent going through the group, most leave the waiting room after momentarily stopping by Kate to offer their support in whatever way she or Castle's family may need. In a few minutes, just Kate and her father are left standing there – with Jenny and Lanie reseating themselves in a corner.

"Katie, how are you holding up? You OK?" Jim asks his daughter, concern in his voice and shining in his eyes.

"Now that I know Rick is probably going to be alright I feel much better than a few hours ago. Although, I must admit that I am still worried about him and about what happened out there. But I know my team won't let us down, they will figure this out."

Just then, Martha and Alexis returns, both looking a bit haggard; the two officers who have followed them to the room now situating themselves just outside the door of the waiting room.

"I must say the doctor wasn't kidding when he said Richard looks bad, it is quite shocking to see him like that. But he is alive, and right now that is all that matters. The doctor is in with him now, but I think it is your turn to go see him next. Oh, and Katherine they moved Richard from the recovery room to a private room down the hall, you will see the officers standing outside."

"Thanks, Martha I think I will go see him now. I will see you later. Please tell Javi and Kevin I will talk to them later, I trust that they will handle the situation for now." Turning to her dad, "Are you coming too, Dad?"

Jim shakes his head, "I think you need some time alone with Rick. I will wait here with the ladies, you go ahead."

"Is the doctor still in there?" Kate asks LT when she reaches the room. When he shakes his head, she takes a deep breath, mentally steeling herself and then enters the room.

Even though Kate knew about the injuries Castle sustained, the sight that greets her when she closes the door behind her is enough to make her stomach clench in shock and heartache. His nose broke close to his eyes, and she is certain that they are mostly swollen shut as a result. A large amount of dark stitches on his forehead stands out starkly against his ghostly pale face, at least where it is not a nasty shade of purple from his broken nose – she has never seen him look so pale. A bright white cast covers his left upper arm and part of his upper body, with a sling keeping his lower arm close to his body. There is also a cast on his broken leg, which is elevated by a few pillows. Although a sheet covers most of him, she is certain that his left thigh is wrapped in bandages, covering up the inevitable stitches from where they removed the bullet. A drip and a bag of plasma hang from a hook above his head, tubes going into his right hand supplying a steady flow of fluids. He is attached to the leads of a heart monitor, which she is relieved to hear is letting out a steady beeping.

As Kate stands next to him, she gently touches his face and whispers "I love you, Rick". Then she sits down in a chair on the right side of the bed, carefully taking his hand in hers and keeping her eyes on his reassuringly rising and falling chest.

After a while the lack of sleep of the past few days and the stress of what was supposed to be the happiest day of her life finally catches up with Kate as she falls asleep with her head on Castle's bed, his hand still clasped in both of hers.


	4. Chapter 4: Awake

**A/N: **Just a quick thank you to everybody who has favored, followed or reviewed this story. I am glad you are enjoying it so far.

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**Chapter 4: Awake**

Beckett is not sure how long she was asleep, but judging by the stiffness in her neck and back, she assumes it was a while. Also, the bags hanging above Castle's head is now almost empty. Something woke her, but she is not sure what. She stretches, attempting to release some of the tension in her upper body while simultaneously taking in her immediate environment. Then she notices it – the beeping of the heart monitor is picking up pace. For a second she worries, but then a soft moan escapes Castle's lips and she knows that he is finally coming to. Kate, now standing as close as she can to the bed, gently cups Castle's cheek with one hand while holding his left hand in her other hand.

After a few minutes Castle's eyes opens, at least as far as the swelling allows, and Kate can see the pain in their now dark blue depths.

"Beckett?" soft and raspy.

"Hey, Castle. I'm here. How are you feeling?" Stupid question she knows, but she asks anyway; her hand that was on his cheek now reaching for the call button.

"Like an eighteen wheeler ran me over, and then backed up all the way to make sure it did a good job. What happened?"

Kate winces at the imagery his words conjure in her mind. "That bad, huh? Just try to stay still; I'm sure they are going to give you something for the pain soon. You don't remember what happened?" She looks up when the door opens, sees Doctor Allan entering, and then focuses on Castle again.

"I remember leaving the judge's chambers, the wedding licence in my pocket... Then nothing until now." He pauses for a breath, and groans again. Then, "Damn, Kate. How wild did the wedding night get?"

Kate hears the doctor choking back a laugh, and feels the heat of a blush rising to her face. How can he possibly be so witty when he has just regained consciousness, she wonders. Deciding to dodge the question, she goes with "You ran into a bit of trouble earlier. Castle this is Doctor Allan, your attending physician." She directs his attention to the doctor, who is now standing next to her.

"Hello, Mister Castle, glad to see you are awake. How are you feeling?" The doctor nods when Castle repeats his previous statement, "Well that is to be expected, after what you went through. I will be giving you something stronger for the pain in a minute. But first I have to ask you a few questions; you have, what I suspect to be, a severe concussion so I am just checking for any problems that may have arisen because of it."

"Sure, doc. Fire away."

Doctor Allan goes through the usual questions, getting the all the correct responses. When he gets to "Can you tell me your given names?" he frowns at the response.

"Richard Alexander Rogers", Castle says.

Kate interjects at this point, remembering that his intake forms only states his legal name, "That is his given name, he changed it when he first got published."

The doctor nods, makes a notation on the chart and then turns to Castle once more. "Alright Mr Castle, that is all for now. I am going to give you something for the pain; it will also let you go back to sleep. However I am going to have to wake you in a few hours to check on the concussion again." He injects something directly into the IV-line.

Castle nods slightly, "I know the drill. Had a few concussions in my day, that one time…" and he drifts off to sleep.

Beckett waits while the doctor checks the readings on the various machines showing Castle's vitals and making additional notes in his chart. When he is done, he turns his attention back to Kate, "He will be sleeping for a few hours. Everything seems to be going well, maybe even better than I expected. The concussion looks like it is not as bad as it seemed at first. It is quite normal for patients to have some memory loss in situations like this, sometimes those memories return and sometimes not – only time will tell. Unless there is complications Mr Castle should make a full recovery, it will however entail some physical therapy and obviously some time."

Kate can feel a weight lifting off her shoulders at his words, and she sends a silent prayer of thanks to the heavens. "Thank you, doctor. I am going to update his family in the meantime, and check on the progress of the case. I will not be long. If you need to reach me, I will be in the waiting room."

As Kate leaves the room, she notices that there are now two new officers outside the door. She greets them, tells them where to find her and then moves down the corridor to go and find Martha and Alexis. As she expected they are in the waiting room, overtook by exhaustion they have fallen asleep leaning against each other, heads resting against one another. In one of the corners the boys have set up a makeshift office – laptops, phones, legal pads and a coffee machine, which they must have borrowed from somewhere, placed on a table with a few chairs arranged around it. They are both absorbed in what they are busy with; but when Kate enters the room, they look up immediately, giving her questioning looks. Kate indicates to them to hold on for a moment and then gently wakes the two redheads up. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Ryan and Esposito getting up and moving closer. She also notices with satisfaction that they are now both wearing their side arms – which serve as an explanation to the lack of uniforms outside the waiting room.

Alexis is wakes up with a start, concern and panic flashing across her face, "Kate, my dad? Is he OK?"

Kate puts a reassuring hand on Alexis' arm; sees Martha is now also awake, the same question in her eyes. "It's OK Alexis, Martha. Nothing is wrong; he actually woke up for a bit a while ago." She lets the words sink in for a moment and sees how the two women in front of her relax. "He was in a lot of pain, so Doctor Allan administered some pain meds after he did a quick concussion check. He is sleeping again, should be for a while. The doctor is optimistic that he will make a full recovery, given ample time and some physical therapy."

"Does he remember what happened?" Ryan asks.

Kate shakes her head, "No, the last thing he can recall is leaving for the wedding. The doctor says it is normal for some memory loss, but he may never remember what occurred between there and here." Turning her attention back to Martha and Alexis, "I'm sure you two would like to freshen up and go see him. Why don't you? I'll be right here, talking to Javier and Kevin."

Martha nods and gets up, "Yes, that sounds like a good idea, I would like that. Alexis, do you want to go with me? We'll see you in a while Katherine."

"Sure Grams, that sounds nice. See you, Kate."

Once Kate is sure that they are out of earshot she turns to the men still standing there, "Right guys, tell me what you got."

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**A/N2:** I expect to be wrapping this up in about one or two more chapters. Including what happened on that stretch of road.

And maybe some fluff, if you would like some that is...


	5. Chapter 5: Evidence

**Chapter 5:**

Beckett has a cup of coffee – not bad, but not the precinct's either – while Esposito and Ryan fills her in on the progress they have made so far.

Ryan's first call was to the prison where Bracken is being held, checking on his movements since his arrest. That seems to be a dead end – he is in solitary confinement, has been since he got there. The only contact he had with the outside world is his lawyer, they did a quick background check and he seems to be clean. The only other people he has had any contact with are prison personnel; Ryan is still checking on them, looking for the usual red flags: family problems, money problems, etc. So far nothing has popped.

Esposito decided to pull the case files on every perp they have put behind bars in the last year, making sure that they are still actually in prison; you never know what happens when you're not looking. He also put out feelers to his contacts on the inside to find out if they heard any talk of revenge going around. So far, he also has nothing of significance to report either.

Kate gets herself another cup of coffee, refills Ryan's cup too. "So, what you are telling me is we are nowhere? Not a single lead? What about at the scene, who do we have there? I know that Hampton PD surely can't handle something of this magnitude, the first time I was here with Castle they had a sheriff, a deputy and two uniforms; oh and their first ever murder, so they definitely have no idea how to handle this kind of thing."

Both the detectives suddenly look like they want to run away. "Espo, why don't you tell her?"

"No, no I think you should."

"Guys, just tell me. Ryan, you talk." Beckett gives them the evil eye for good measure.

"Well, Beckett actually the Captain took point on the scene…"

For just a moment Kate is stunned, then she remembers the last time she saw the captain – heading out the door demanding to talk to the sheriff, telling Kate that she's "got it". _Wow, didn't think she meant actually taking point_, goes through Kate's head. "The captain, as in captain Gates?" just to make sure. Only getting nods from the boys, "So, what have you heard from her?"

"She called a while ago, said she is on her way." Esposito looks at his watch "In fact, she should be here any minute."

"OK, so we wait. Kevin, where is your wife? And where did my dad disappear to?"

"Jenny and Lanie decided to go back to the house to start cleaning up, your dad volunteered to go with them to help move the heavier stuff. Oh, and they also took Mr Gates with them, he couldn't go home as the Captain took their car to the scene – so he volunteered to go help too."

Kate hasn't even thought about how they have left the house and the yard, ready for a wedding. For a moment she is overcome by sadness, "_We were supposed to be married by now"_.

Then Gates walks in, and Kate pushes the thought to the back of her mind.

"Detectives" as a greeting to all three people present. Turning to Kate, "Detective Beckett, how is he doing?" Kate fills her in on Castle's condition and prognosis, "Good, that is good news." Then she makes a beeline for the coffee, empties the pot into a cup.

Beckett takes the empty coffeepot, "We are going to need a refill, I'll take care of that. Why don't you two fill the Captain in on what you have figured out so far?" As she leaves the waiting room-cum-makeshift-bullpen in search of water for the coffee, she hears Esposito starting to recount his non-news. By the time Kate returns to the conversation Kevin is busy reporting his progress to the captain, so she starts the new pot of coffee.

Next, the captain recounts what happened since Beckett last saw her. As Beckett suspected the sheriff was way in over his head with this case although he did not want to admit it. By the time Gates called him, everybody had already left the scene; leaving the burned-out Mercedes where it was, to be collected at some later stage. The captain offered to take the lead and provide the necessary personnel and other resources needed, and although the sheriff was apprehensive about it she convinced him that that would be best for everyone – he gave in when she promised to keep him in the loop, and if they solved the case to give his office the credit.

Once Gates got the go-ahead from the sheriff she sent uniforms to the crash-site to secure the scene, while she organised for a CSU team to process it. Then she went out there herself to oversee the process. Even though the scene was left unsecured for a while, it didn't seem to have been compromised, as that specific stretch of road was not very busy this time of day.

There were two sets of tyre tracks on the road itself, one set of skid marks obviously belonging to Castle's car as they led off the road and towards the embankment. They found the other set of tracks a few feet beyond the crash site, giving the impression that someone stopped to look at the wreckage before driving off in a hurry. This was confirmed by the couple who called 911, they reported seeing a black SUV with tinted windows taking off from the side of the road "like a bat out of hell" when they drove up to it. Unfortunately, they could not agree on the make and model of the car, but the woman did recall a partial New York registration number. Detective Karpowski is already working on narrowing down the list of cars that it may possibly be, but even with a partial plate, there could still be hundreds of potential suspects. They were also trying to identify the make of tyres by the track marks – which could narrow down the make and model of the vehicle that left it – but it will take a while and may lead to nothing of use.

The Mercedes also told a story of its own. They counted five bullet holes in the left side. The grouping indicating either that the shooter was not a very good shot, or that he was also driving while doing the shooting, or both. Judging by the amount of holes, they think that only one weapon was used. It looks like Castle left the car through the right front door, as it was still open; and there was a blood trail leading from the open door to a large amount of blood, where the paramedics found him. Gates have ordered a flatbed truck to take the Mercedes to the evidence garage for further processing; it was already on its way back to the city.

They did not recover any shell casings, the assumption being that it all ejected into the shooter's SUV. Chances of recovering any usable bullets in the car is almost zero, the heat of the fire most probably destroyed all identifiable markings. It seems that the only hope of figuring out which kind of weapon was used, is the bullet fragments recovered from Castle during surgery; they were also en route to the lab for processing, along with all the other forensic evidence that were collected at the scene.

When Beckett raises her concerns about how long they will have to wait for the evidence to be processed, Gates responds: "That has actually been taken care of, the mayor himself pulled a few strings to get the results expedited – I guess that sometimes it does help to have friends in high places… Detectives Esposito and Ryan, I expect that you will assist detective Karpowski in chasing down leads when you are done with what you are busy with now." Receiving nods from them both, she turns her attention to Kate, "Detective Beckett, we need to have a conversation in private."

Ryan gets up, looking at Esposito: "We were just leaving, have some calls to make. Don't we, Espo?"

"Yeah, yeah I guess so." As they leave, he whispers to Ryan "Man, what I would give to be a fly on one of those walls right now."

"Now detective Beckett, I know that you probably don't want to hear this – but you cannot be part of this investigation, you are too close to this one."

"I understand, Sir. I am not going to fight you on this; I have no intention of leaving Castle alone here, not now. All I ask is that I am kept informed on the progress of the case."

"I have no problem with that Detective. I am glad that we could reach an understanding."

"Captain, one more thing… Thank you, for your help with all of this."

"You are welcome Detective; it is the least I can do…" Now Gates looks a bit embarrassed "You may never repeat what I am about to say to anybody, agree?" Kate nods. "I have actually developed a certain affection towards Mr Castle, and whether I like it or not he is a part of the team."

Kate smiles, "He does have that way of on growing on a person, doesn't he? And don't worry, Sir –your secret is safe with me."


	6. Chapter 6: Caught

It has been three days since the crash, and true to her word, Kate hasn't left Castle alone. After she refused to go home the first night, and slept in the chair next to his bed, they carried an extra bed into his room for her. She has secretly dubbed the room the presidential suite, it might not be that large but is does have more than just the necessities, including an attached full private bathroom – where she has been taking quick showers. She convinced Lanie to bring her weapons that first night, and she has been carrying it with her since then, her backup piece strapped to her ankle and the other hidden under her pillow. Each day Martha and Alexis came from the beach house for visiting hours, that was the only times she left the room for more than a few minutes – stretching her legs and checking in on the progress of the case.

Her dad and Lanie, both staying at the house with Alexis and Martha, have also been making the daily trip to the hospital. Lanie also brought Kate clean clothes, toiletries, her laptop and a few books to keep her mind occupied. Yesterday the boys went back to the city, the limited access to resources they had at the hospital and the house necessitating their return to the precinct.

When Beckett woke up this morning, she found that Castle was already awake; lying in his bed looking at her while she slept. She told him "It is still creepy when you watch me sleep, you know", neglecting to tell him that she has been content in watching him sleep for the past two days. He just smiled at her, and her heart melted. He looked better today, the swelling in his face have mostly gone down, only his right eye still not quite opening fully. Even the bruises don't seem so stark against the rest of his skin, but that may just be because he is no longer so deathly pale.

They haven't told Castle exactly what happened yet; it didn't seem to have occurred to him to ask, the meds making his brain fuzzy. But yesterday the doctor started to lower the doses of his pain medication and today Castle seems to be thinking clearer. Martha and Alexis have just finished their morning visit; both looking more relaxed than they have since the crash. As Castle watches his mother and daughter close the door behind them as they leave, he suddenly frowns; looking at Kate, he asks, "Why is there a cop outside my room?"

_Damn it, I told them to stay out of Castle's line of sight. _Kate knows that she can't lie to him so she draws a deep breath, takes his right hand in both of hers and starts: "You know how the last thing you remember is leaving for the wedding?"

He gives her a confused look, "Yes, but what does that have to do with the cop outside my room?"

"I'm getting to it, I promise, just be patient. You called me on your way to the Hamptons to say you were about twenty minutes away. An hour later the sheriff called me, said there was an accident and that they found your phone."

Kate tries to keep her voice as steady as she can as she recalls the events of that day, watching the emotions play on Rick's face and in his eyes as he listens. She only stops talking once she have told him everything, including what evidence they have and the leads that are in the process of being followed up on "… and that is why there is a cop outside the door, and two shadowing your mother and Alexis."

For a moment Castle is quiet as he processes what she has told him. "So, we didn't get married? Who would do that to us? Why? After everything we had to go through to make it happen", his voice a mixture of hurt, anger and disbelief.

"No, babe we're not married yet. As for the who and why, just about the entire Twelfth is working on figuring that out – and they will. And we will get married; this is just another obstacle in our love story, our fairy-tale, I promise."

At that, he smiles "As long as you don't give up, I won't give up either." He gives her hands a squeeze, "And Kate…"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

It feels so good to hear him say it – _I didn't think I'll ever hear you say that again _–"I love you too."

It has been a week, _an entire week_.

Yesterday they removed the stitches on Castle's forehead, the cut now partially hidden by his hair. The swelling in his face is now almost imperceptible. Today the stitches on his thigh will probably also be removed. Doctor Allan said that they just might remove the cast from his shoulder today too, as long as Castle promises to keep it totally still by strapping his left arm to his body for at least another five weeks. That promise was promptly made, with Kate reminding Castle that she has a gun if he breaks the promise.

The case has slowly stalled as the days went by, every potential lead ending up a dead-end. On Castle's insistence, they have hired a private security firm to take over the guarding duties, not wanting to abuse the kindness shown to them by the captain in having the uniforms stand guard while they had other duties to perform.

When Beckett checked in with Esposito yesterday, they decided that (if Captain Gates agrees to it) it might be time to let the media in on the search for the still missing SUV. They would release the partial number plate and description, saying that the occupants may have some information on the "incident".

This morning it was on the news, in the newspaper, and even on the radio. When Kate called for an update, the tip-line at the station was already ringing off the hook.

They have decided that they will follow-up on every call. "Just ignore the ones claiming aliens, ghosts or the government did it." Kate tells Ryan, "… Oh, and time travellers. We really don't want to go down that rabbit hole again."

A few days ago, the visitors brought a box full of board games, DVDs, more books and Castle's laptop (He claimed that he can type perfectly well with one hand). Now Kate and Rick are playing their second game of Scrabble of the day, he won the previous one by fifteen points. She thinks that she may not be able to not win this one; Castle keeps fiddling and shifting around.

"Castle, what are you doing? You are ruining my concentration here."

"Sorry, but these casts are beginning to itch, I am trying not to scratch." Then changing the subject of the conversation and arranging his face into an expression of complete innocence "You know, I have been thinking – can I get one of those motorized wheelchairs you didn't want me to have the last time I broke my knee? I really wouldn't be able to get around in a regular one, my shoulder also being busted and all. Unless you want me to go round in little circles the whole day?"

Kate knew this was coming, have thought about that very same problem "Yes, you can. But only if you promise to be careful, I don't want you to also break your neck while racing around with that thing." Just then, her phone buzzes with a text from Ryan, and she feels her heart starting to race at reading the message: "_Got a solid lead. Judge issued a search warrant. Leaving now."_

It has been hours since she got the message, and now total radio silence – not a single word from anybody. She didn't tell Castle, not wanting to get his hopes up. Kate checks her phone for the umpteenth time, still nothing. Just when she decides to call one of the boys the door opens, Esposito sticking his head into the room.

"Hi Beckett, Castle. Beckett I need to talk to you.", neither his face nor his voice giving anything away.

"I'll be right back, Castle." Before he can respond, she's out the door, closing it softly behind her and then turning around to see Ryan standing next to Esposito. By the look on their faces, she knows it is good news.

They go to the waiting room in silence. The moment they sit down she asks, "It's over, isn't it? You caught the guy?"

"Well, actually it was not a guy." They take turns in telling her what happened since the morning, and when they are done, they just sit there, smiling.

Kate leaves Ryan and Esposito in the waiting room. She needs to tell Castle by herself.

"Kate, what's wrong?" Then Castle looks at her face, "Or rather what is right? You look happy."

"I am happy, Castle. You are not going to believe this."

She carefully seats herself on his bed and tells him how they caught the person who ruined their perfect day.

As expected, a lot of calls came in during the morning, a lot of them obviously of no use. But a few did sound legitimate, so somebody followed up on those. One of those calls was from a man who said that the car and partial plate matched his neighbor, an Anne White, and she hasn't been home for a week. He said that he saw her on the day of the crash, putting a suitcase in her car and looking nervous. When he asked her where she was going she was evasive, said she had some kind of emergency to attend to and then quickly drove away.

The detectives decided to pull her record – nothing much there, just a few traffic violations – but what really caught their attention was that somebody filed a missing persons report on her the previous day. When they called her family, they confirmed that they haven't had any contact with her in days, her phone simply going to voicemail whenever they tried to call. They gave the police permission to enter her house, told them to get the spare key from another of her neighbors.

According to Esposito, they could see that see left in a hurry, the breakfast dishes still dirty in the sink. She left so quickly that she left her laptop right there on the desk, so they had a look at it. That's when they knew that they were on the right trail; there were dozens of letters that she had written to Castle, according to the logs she printed one out every week. The first few were just regular fan mail, slowly changing into something resembling love letters. After the engagement announcement was published, it became more intense. The last letter was printed, and presumably mailed, two weeks before the wedding was to take place.

At that stage they had enough probable cause to get a warrant to trace her phone and her car's GPS, it wasn't difficult to find a judge to sign off on it either as Castle is friends with quite a few of them. The trace led them to a holiday cabin. When they got there she simply sat there on the porch, didn't even try to run.

She started to confess the moment they had her in interrogation. When she saw the engagement announcement, she decided that Castle could not marry anybody but her. She waited for him to call it off, be he never did. So on the morning of the wedding she followed Castle from the loft to the courthouse. When he left there, she approached him, but he politely told her that this wasn't a good time for a talk, to call his publisher for an autographed photo. That's when she decided that if she couldn't have him, nobody could. She followed him out to the Hamptons; and when the coast was clear she drove up next to him, opened the car's window and started shooting. Castle was not buckled in and he was already turning his body away from her when she started shooting, and the first shot hit him in the back of his shoulder. Then he ducked out of sight, but she just kept on shooting into the Mercedes. When the car went off the embankment she pulled over to see whether he was still alive, but a car approached from ahead so she sped away.

"So, Castle this all happened because a deranged fan fell in love with you. Who would have thought that writing could be so dangerous?"

He looks at her in disbelief, "That's it? Just like that, it's over?" After a brief pause, "You see, I told you I am irresistible. Now do you believe me?"

Kate has to laugh at that, "I am beginning to see that, I think I will have to keep a closer eye on you from now on… You know, permanent protective custody."

"That sounds great, just think of all the fun we are going to have together", he wiggles his eyebrows at her.

Two days later Castle is cleared to leave the hospital, his left arm in a sling and his broken leg still in a cast. Kate still hasn't left his side, not yet ready to let him out of her sight. Martha and Alexis waits outside the room while Kate helps him into a button-down shirt and a pair of oversized slacks. When he is settled in a wheelchair, he takes Kate's hand and pulls her to him, giving her a soft kiss.

"Kate," his soulful blue eyes holding hers, "will you marry me?"

"I am pretty sure I already said yes, Castle." She shows him her left hand, engagement ring sparkling on her ring finger.

"I mean, will you still marry me? Soon."

"Then yes, I will still marry you. I love you, and that is not going to change. What do you mean with soon?"

"I love you too, so soon means as soon as I can stand in front of the altar on my own two feet." He doesn't let go of her hand, "And Kate, thank you for staying with me the whole time. I know you wanted to help with the case."

She bends down and whispers in his ear "Always".

**A/N: **_Thank you to everyone that has read this story. I hope you enjoyed it. I am writing a chapter for the wedding, but I'm stuck at the vows and I'm not sure when or if I am going to get unstuck. So for now I am marking this story as "Complete"._


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